As is often the case in an ICU, death and loss permeate perpetually. Recently, however, one case stood out. A young mother who had just had a baby girl a few days prior was found down at home by her 17-year-old son and brought urgently to this hospital by EMS. Unfortunately, despite valiant efforts, irreversible brain damage was confirmed and the family tearfully and gut-wrenchingly made the difficult decision to withdraw care and end her suffering. The ensuing minutes where they held and tried to console each other, with the baby girl brought in to see her mom one last time, was unimaginably sad. Diana, in an effort to ease their suffering and offer some comfort, came up with the brilliant idea of cutting locks of the mother's hair—one for each child. She also took photos of the baby, cradled in her mother's arms. This was truly and deeply appreciated by the family. I was moved by such a gesture as was this family, each of her four children, have a keepsake of their mom to treasure for a lifetime. And that little baby has a lasting image of being cradled in the arms of the one who gave her very life for her own.
It was reassuring to be reminded that there are these acts of kindness, compassion, and empathetic caring that still exist in nurses today; acts not enforced by national standards, EBP guidelines, legal bindings, or managerial initiatives. That acts come from a place of pure compassion and human kindness. This speaks volumes of Diana's commitment to customer service and of going above and beyond for our patients and their families.